Mic Lays Off 25 People as It Refocuses on Being ‘the Leader in Visual Journalism’

CEO and co-founder optimistic about the future

As Business Insider reported, Mic joined a growing list of digital media companies today by laying off 25 employees to focus more on video content.

The move mostly affected Mic’s newsroom and editorial teams, though many departments were affected.

“We made these tough decisions because we believe deeply in our mission to make Mic the leader in visual journalism, and we need to focus the company to deliver on our mission,” Mic co-founder and CEO Chris Altchek said in a memo to full-time staff, according to a post on Mic itself.

The decision comes not long after a companywide meeting during which employees were assured that no layoffs were coming, according to Business Insider. Some staffers who were thinking of taking new jobs elsewhere were also told that no layoffs were coming.

A little over a month ago, Mic tried to get me to not take an offer at Giz by promising no layoffs. https://t.co/s0qLoWEkR8

“Visual journalism already makes up 75 percent of the time that our audiences spend with Mic,”Altchek wrote in the memo. “As new platforms emerge and existing platforms continue to grow, we believe this will become a dominant form of news consumption. Our strategy to realign our resources behind this new market of ‘tap stories,’ in which we are already winning, will set us apart. In addition, we remain confident about our ability to succeed with extensions into the premium video space and already see strong traction with those efforts.”

Altchek’s memo included a note that an all-hands meeting will be held on Aug. 24 to address any concerns.